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He called it an unrepeatable season, and we certainly can't blame him. In fact, 2024 remains a banner year for the Barni team, captained by Marco Barnabò. In the Superbike World Championship, they triumphed with Spinelli and Petrucci, winning, among other things, as an independent team and rider.
At the same time, they celebrated Michele Pirro's tenth Italian title in the CIV, to then reach the podium in Asia in the Asian Road Racing Championship. The SSP followed, where Yari Montella fought for the championship until the second to last race.
For that occasion, the team owner opened the doors of his "home" to us, telling us the secrets and ins and outs of his team.
"We started in 2000 and, as you can see, we invested more on equipment than aesthetics," he began. "The fact is that, if we have one euro, we prefer to invest it in the bike. In fact, I care about having a bike that's competitive, because the thing that gratifies me the most is to have a bike that's at the same level as the others."
Now you're rejoicing with Petrucci, but you've also gone through many difficult moments, but you were always able to start over.
"We went through bad times, without satisfaction, but I have to thank those who were there. Now we've managed to get a top-level rider like Danilo and, along with the whole team, we're getting results. What counts is the work done at home, because it has to be done in an orderly and methodical way."
In all this, the partners are also happy, like Bardahl, who brought to market the new XT4R 0W-50 oil.
"The goal was to make a more high-performing race oil. We'll use it to break-in new engines, as well as at the Jerez tests in January. In fact, weìd like to have an exclusive racing product that can give us some extra horsepower."
Going back to Petrucci, how has your relationship evolved?
"Since 2011, we've always been in touch with Danilo, and he could even return to Barni before 2023. Every year, I called him to ask him what he was going to do the following season and, eventually, we were able to get him back. I'm really very happy for everything we did together."
Did you expect his return?
"I always thought heìd come back sooner or later, also because he wanted to win. It wasn't easy at first, because Danilo thought he'd be fast right away. Instead, he had to get used to it. But we were convinced of his potential, In fact, we avoided revolutionizing the Panigale too much. Then, when he started to get confident, everything went well."
Once Bautista was the only one who made a difference with the V4. Now it seems to be a bike for everyone. Do you agree?
"The Panigale is a competitive bike and, on some tracks, the package makes a difference compared to others. As of today, however, I no longer see a Ducati rider with a major edge over the others, as was perhaps the case with Bautista until a few years ago. Initially, the Ducati V4 was created for Alvaro, but then the bike was adapted to more riders, all of them managing to be competitive."
Going back to Petrucci, can you tell us what the opportunity to return before 2023 would've been?
"I called him after the season with the CRTs and then at the end of each season."
A number of riders have passed through the Barni team. Do you feel bad about a rider you would've liked to have seen on Ducati but who, unfortunately, didn't arrive?
"It was 2019, and I called Toprak. It was the year before he came to Yamaha. I talked to him, but he was only interested in the factory team's Panigale, and I can understand that. We tried," he said, smiling.
